England skippers Heather Knight and Eoin Morgan have been confirmed as the respective captains of London Spirit for the second year of The Hundred.
They will be joined by international stars Zak Crawley, Freya Davies, Dan Lawrence, Glenn Maxwell and Mark Wood who will all return to the Lord’s based outfit.
The inaugural year of The Hundred proved a big hit with families and children in particular relishing the mix of fast-paced cricket with music and family entertainment off the pitch. Eight teams, based across seven cities, compete in double-header men’s and women’s matches.
Eoin Morgan said: “The first year of The Hundred was a huge success. We saw quality cricket in front of incredible crowds, and it was awesome to see so many families coming to watch. It was also really special to see so many fans watching both us and the women’s team and it’s undeniable that The Hundred has had a massive impact on the women’s game.”
Spirit will also have the first pick in the men’s draft, which takes place on Wednesday 30 March.
"The Hundred blew us all away last year"
Morgan added: “We are delighted to have the first pick in the draft. We hope to add strength and depth to our squad. We can’t wait to see who’s available to snap up.”
Heather Knight said: “The Hundred blew us all away last year. It was an absolute gamechanger and showed everyone what our sport is all about. I loved taking part in it and, after narrowly missing out on the knockouts last year, we are aiming to go one better this time around.”
England’s Charlie Dean will be joined by Amara Carr, Noami Dattani, Danielle Gibson, Alice Monaghan and Grace Scrivens in the women’s squad.
On the men’s side, Ravi Bopara, Mason Crane, Blake Cullen and Adam Rossington make up the remaining retentions.
The women’s side will be looking to sign seven more players to complete their team while the men have six spots to fill in the draft on 30 March, with two overseas spots in the squad up for grabs.
Spirit men’s side travel south of the river to take on local rivals Oval Invincibles at the Kia Oval in their opening game on Thursday 4 August. The opening men’s game at Lord’s on Monday 8 August will see London Spirit host Manchester Originals. The women’s side start their Lord’s campaign on Wednesday 24 August with Welsh Fire the visitors in an exciting double header. Oval Invincibles visit for an all London clash on Saturday 27 August before Birmingham Phoenix travel to Lord’s for the final game on Tuesday 30 August.
Tickets for Spirit matches at Lord’s go on sale to MCC Members today, and to last year’s ticket buyers from tomorrow. All ticketing arrangements for The Hundred are being handled centrally by the ECB and details can be accessed via thehundred.com/tickets.
People who didn’t see the action for themselves last year can sign up at thehundred.com to be first to hear when tickets go on sale.